Notable & Quotable

Reed Humphrey didn’t have to move far when he took the helm of UM’s College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences. Provost Perry Brown announced in June that Humphrey accepted the position of dean of the college. Humphrey, formerly professor and chair of the UM School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, was selected for the position after an extensive national search. He replaces David Forbes, who retired after serving UM for twenty-six years. “It’s a distinct honor to be appointed dean and a privilege to follow Dave Forbes, from whom I learned much in my eight years as chair of the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science,” Humphrey says.

“Who are some of the best and brightest scientific minds of our time?” This is the first question in a recent publication by Thomson Reuters, titled The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds. Its authors go on to answer their own question by analyzing data to determine which researchers have produced work that is most frequently acknowledged by peers. Three UM faculty members are lauded in the publication for publishing the greatest number of highly cited papers between 2002 and 2012. UM Regents Professor of Ecology Steven Running is listed in the Geosciences section, and conservation ecology Associate Professor Gordon Luikart and biology Professor Ragan Callaway are listed in the Environment/Ecology section. They are the only researchers from Montana on the list. According to the report, “They are people who are on the cutting edge of their fields. They are performing and publishing work that their peers recognize as vital to the advancement of their science.”

UM College of Forestry and Conservation fire science Professor Ron Wakimoto recently received the Biswell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Fire Ecology. The award, named for fire ecologist Harold Biswell, was given during the AFE’s Large Wildland Fires Conference held in Missoula this past May. The AFE gives the award to individuals who have made a significant contribution to fire ecology and management in the U.S. and have inspired and mentored a generation of fire ecologists. Wakimoto was one of three doctoral students who studied under Biswell at the University of California, Berkeley, who also have received the honor. Wakimoto, who has taught at UM since 1982, has led international efforts to train Bhutanese foresters and provided fire training to more than 200 Bhutanese forest managers and volunteers.